Brad Underwood Unfazed by Houston Location Ahead of Sweet 16 Matchup

The Illini get No. 2 seed Houston in the Cougars' hometown for the Sweet 16, but Underwood isn't concerned about the location of the matchup

Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Kentucky Wildcats at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

During the bracket reveal on Selection Sunday, long before Illinois knocked off Penn and VCU, the first thought about Illinois' draw from many pundits – present company included – had nothing to do with the NCAA Tournament's opening weekend. Illini coach Brad Underwood would undoubtedly have disapproved of us looking ahead, but it was the likely Sweet 16 clash against No. 2 seed Houston in its home city was the attention-grabber.

And after the Illini cruised past the Quakers and Rams while the Cougars never flinched in matchups with Idaho and Texas A&M, the two programs are officially set for that very matchup on Thursday (9:05 p.m. CT, TBS).

It seems unfair for both Illinois and Houston – each of which rank in the top five of our Sweet 16 power rankings – that the bracket pitted them against one another at this point in the tourney. Their pairing feels like an Elite Eight or Final Four contest, not a Sweet 16 game. 

Illinois' Brad Underwood doesn't 'give two rips' about playing in Houston

Feb 27, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood greets the crowd before the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

But for the Illini to draw the Cougars at this juncture of the tournament and in Houston has to be borderline illegal, right? Well, Illinois fans certainly hold that perspective. As for Underwood, though, he isn’t paying it any mind.

“I don’t give two rips about that,” Underwood said about the location of Thursday's Illinois-Houston game in a radio interview on "Waddle & Silvy" of ESPN Chicago. “People are going to make a big deal about it. If I spend a second of time worrying about that nonsense, then I’m probably not spending enough time on trying to figure out how to beat them.”

“The Illini Nation will be there. We’re going to take an hour-and-a-half flight. Big deal. They take a 15-minute drive. We’re all going to stay in hotels. And you’ve got to play great. You’ve got to be tough and nasty if you want to win. Everybody’s good. So I’m not really worried about it. It’s going to be a storyline, but let it be a storyline that I’m not going to give two rips about.”

And why should he? Houston, despite emerging as a hoops powerhouse under Kelvin Sampson over the past few years, isn’t a program known for a large, rambunctious fan base. The game will be played in Houston's Toyota Center – not the Cougars' Fertitta Center gym. And Illinois fans have a reputation for traveling extraordinarily well.

Now, will there be more Houston fans on site than Illinois fans? Most likely. But is that going to translate to a true home-court advantage for the Cougars? Probably not. And it definitely won’t resemble the Nebraska-Vanderbilt game in Oklahoma City this past weekend (which was a truly incredible atmosphere).

Moral of the story: playing in Houston will not be Illinois' problem. Playing against Houston should be the focus. Clearly, Underwood recognizes that and he's channeling all his efforts into game-planning for the Cougars – instead of worrying about an uncontrollable (and barely significant) factor.